Vessel for transporting and dropping depth bombs



April i6, 1940.

S. B. LEONARDI, JR

VESSEL FOR TRANSPORTING AND DROPPING DEPTH BOMBS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l w Q N s m, \.m l mm z www o@ N n .v Y e v .n mi mL s w Y. m @N s w: 2 mlfv @u i.; 5 m ma. a D HUM.uullllldllxd."""Hnhhqllklhnnund." O rlkllll. .IF-IllwHN-ullbdn S z E i :1,1 N MM. o w: w M a @s M MW m m Q. E nu Mmm,-HHHn www5 Hhrvmljf r www,HHHMHHUNHMV r Mwwmrdiij 3 A ASS if .3 Ik@ INVENTOR. Sydney B. Leonard:

ATTORNEY.

April E6, i940. s. B. LEONARDI, JR

VESSEL FOR TRANSPORTING AND DROPPING DEPTH BOMBS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a ma a mi S i.; EE@ C: r ,HMHHH rl n Nmm l5 @E Q n. 2. -2- ,Si E M5 m@ l:

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1N VENTOR.

s. B. LEoNARDl, JR 2,197,129

VESSEL FOR TRANSPORTING AND DROPPING DEPTH BOMBS Filed Sept. 17, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. i5, `i940 annue f VESSEL FOR TRANSPORTING AND DROPPING DEPTH BODIES Sydney B. Leonardi, Jr., New Rochelle, N. Y., as-

signor of one-half to Harold H. Pelzer and William Pelzer, both of New York, N. Y.

Application September 17, 1938,'Serial N0. 230,403

8 Claims.

This invention relates to the means employed for transporting and dropping depth bombs into the sea, harbors and rivers, and primarily to depth bombs which aree caused to explode through the operation of devices actuated by the water pressure at predetermined depths. Heretofore it has been the practice to carry such bombs in ships or oating vessels to the point where it is desired .to drop the bomb overboard. This procedure obviously subjects the transporting vessel and operators to danger, and the main object of the present invention is to provide a mobile carrier f capable of being projected or driven by power within the carrier to a given point under or upon the surface of the water and which carrier will contain one or more depth bombs and means for automatically releasing the bombs for dropping into the water, and which carrier will float after release oi the bombs and gf, be recover-able for further use. o

In carrying the invention into effect I preferably employ a 4vesselof the automobile torpedo type so that the bomb carrying vessel may be launched through the .usual vtorpedo launching tubes, and `when the bomb carrier is provided with a power plant for propelling the carrier and automatic steering and depthregulating means, I prefer to employ the apparatus with whichautomobile torpedoes are usually provided. The power plant and controlling mechanism for propelling and directing the bomb carrier are contained within a closed chamber at the tailgend of the vessel. Forward of this chamber is a compressed air chamber, and immediately in w advance of this chamber the vessel is divided into three compartments, one being an upper air chamber for buoyancy and two separate lower chambers adapted to contain the depth bombs. The bomb chambers are closed b-y hinged Wall sections having locking bolts, andwhich sections are preferably double walled to provide additional air chambers, and adjacent each bomb chamber is housed mechanism for unlocking the hinged sections to release the bombs. The bow end of the vessel is closed to form a further air chamber for buoyancy, and this chamber may be weighted below the axial center of the vessel to provide fore and aft balance and to maintain the vessel on an even keel. The bomb re- 50 leasing mechanism is actuated through a reducing gear connected with the air turbine or propeller shaft and the functioning of the releasing mechanism is controlled by timingdisks and range setting dials whereby the :bombs rwill be released` at predetermined distances from the point of launching of the carrier and the carrier propelling and directing mechanism shut down to permit the carrier to rise and float on the surface to be recovered subsequently by the vessel from' which it was launched or by other 5 vessels.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l isa longitudinal elevation of` a vessel of the automobile torpedo type provided with bomb chambers.

Figure 2 a vertical longitudinal section or" the forward half of the vessel sho-wn in Figure l.

Figure 3 a similar View of the rear halfof the vessel;

Figure 4 an enlarged cross-sectional View on the lines @-4 of Figure2.

Figure 54 anY enlarged vertical longitudinal section taken between the lines 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 an enlarged cross-sectional view on the lines 6 5 of Figure 2, and

Figure '7 an enlarged plan View of the range setting dial.

,Referring to the drawings, and more particuf larly to Figure l, 2 and 3, A indicates a vessel of the automobile torpedovtype having prop'elf` 1ers l, steering rudders 2, depth controlling rudders 3, stern chamber il in which is housed the usual propelling and controlling apparatus comprising an airlturbine 5 for driving the propel- 1ers,turboelectric generator 6, air heater 'l for heating the air supplied to the turbines, a gyroscope 8 for controlling the steering rudders, and a device 9 for controlling the depth rudders. These pieces of apparatus and the operating connections are not fully illustrated or described in detail since they form no part of the present invention and are well known and may be of anyof the `well known types.

The cylindrical shell A is divided into compartments by three bulkheads a, b and c to provide air and watertight chambers. Bulkheads a and b form with the shell A the compressed air chamber l0 from which air pipes l I extend to the heater l and from which the heated air is conducted to the propeller turbine 5 and to the turbo-gener-v ator 6 controlled by trigger I2'. vBulkhead c with shell A forms the bow air chamber i3 in which is xed below'the axial center of the vessel a balancing weight I4. Between the bulkheads b and c the shell A is divided into bomb chambers l5 and I6 having semi-circular openings or ports closed by semi-circular lids I 1 hinged at the forward ends by hinges I8.l n These chambers are formed by4 semicylindrical inner shell sections i9, shown 55 in cross-section in Figure 6, having longitudinal flanges 2li which are seam-welded to the outer shell along the edge of the semi-circular opening. The forward ends of these inner shell sections are closed by semi-circular flanged disks 2| having horizontal flanges 22 as seen in Figures 2 and 5. These flanges 22 extend across the full diameter of shell A, the disk at chamber I6 being welded air and watertight to bulkhead c and the disk 2| at chamber l being similarly Welded to a semicircular disk 23 having a flange 2t. A similar disk 23 having a flange 2@ extends across the shell A at the rear of chamber l5 and this disk has a horizontal plate 25 Welded at the angle and to the bulkhead b as seen in Figure 2. The rear endsof the inner shell sections |9 are curved as seen in Figure Zand are closed by curved semi-circular disks 25 which extend close to the bottom of shell A, and these disks are welded to the anges 24 of disks 23. Thus the partitions formed by'shell sections i3, disks 2l, disks 26, flanges 22 yand all and plate form with the outer shell A and bulkheads b and c, an air and watertight chamber 21. To strengthen the section of shell A at the bomb. chambers a series of arched plate ribs 28 l1 is provided with a sliding spring actuated boltV 23 the nose of which is bevelled to slide over the edge of shell A and engage the inner side thereof to lock the lid.

The dimensions and shape of the bomb chambers may be varied to suit the dimensions and shape of the bombs to be carried therein. For il lustration the bombs @il and 3l are shown as cylindrical in shape and the length of the chambers between plates 2l and 26 will be such as to hold the bombs against longitudinal movement when enclosed in the chambers. The diameter of the bomb chamber will be greater than the diameter of the bomb and to hold the bomb against lateral movement the inner wall lie of the lid section is provided with longitudinal ribs l1'e and rubber pads I9' secured to the inner side of shells i9 and which pads will be compressed slightly by the pressure of the bomb when the lid is closed. When the lid is unlocked the weight of the bomb will swing the lid downward as indicated in broken lines in Figure l, the ribs 31e serving as skids on which the bomb will slide off the lid section. At

Athe lower edge of plates 26 a recess is provided for a rubber cushion 32, Figure 5, against which the projection 33 on the lid section strikes when locking the lid. The lateral iianges l'lb and the end peripheral flanges llf, Figure 6, of the inner wall of the lid l1 are grooved as indicated to receive rubber strips 61X to serve as packing to reduce the seepage of water into the bomb chamber. Seepage of water into the bomb chamber during the short period the carrier travels through the water before the bomb is released will have no eifect on the bomb while in the chamber since the pressure would be insufficient to operate the firing mechanism of the bomb,

The releasing mechanism for releasing the bombs comprises al crank-lever 34 for disengaging the bolt 29 `pivoted on bracket 35 which is secured on plate 23, a link 36, cam-rod 31, and

cam 38 on the front face of timing disk 39 having 'of this hub is bored to form the driven element keyed on stub-shaft 5| journalled in bearing 52 i bolted to a recessed seat 53 formed in the handhole cover plate 54 which is seated flush with, sealed and bolted to the shell A as seen in Figure 5. In the recessed seat 53 is seated a range setting dial 55 keyed and bolted to the stub-shaft 5|, and 1.1".

senting twenty yards, and the disk constituting :L

the dial is made sufciently large and thick to provide for Spanner wrench holes 51 whereby the dial may be rotated to rotate shaft 5|, gears 5i? and d? and timing disk 39 to set cam 38 for effecting the operation of cam-rod 31 and crank lever 34 to shift the locking bolt 29 for releasing a bomb at a predetermined distance of travel of the carrier vessel from the moment of launching and operation of thecontrol trigger l2.

Release mechanism shaft 4I is driven at a greatly reduced speed through a chain drive 58 and reducing gear 59 of any suitable type mounted on or adjacent to and driven by air turbine 5, see Figure 3J Shaft `4| is illustrated as in one length but it will be understood the shaft may be in several sections joined by couplings, and passages through a tube 60 extending between bulkheads c. and b. When the carrier vessel is launched and trigger |2 is tripped to start the propelling and other apparatus operating, shaft 4| also begins rotation and through the roller clutches rotates the timing disks of the bombreleasing mechanisms. The timing disks may be set by the range setting dials to release the two bombs simultaneously, for instance, at a point one thousand yards from the point of launching, by turning the dials individually to the graduations indicating thatA distance. The rotation o-f the dials in effecting these settings rotate the timing disks individually backward to set the cams 38 at a position where, when the shaft si begins to rotate, the disks through the engagement ofthe roller clutches rotate at the same speed as the shaft to eventually cause the cams to engage and raise the cam-rods to release the bombs. When it is desired to release the bombs at spaced intervals, for instance, twenty yards apart, the forward setting dial which controls the release of bomb 3| from the forward chamber will be set one graduation further than the dial` which controls the release of bomb 30, so that the bomb 3l) which will be released first is dropped twenty yards in advance of the dropping of bomb 3|.

On the rear face of the forward timing disk 39,

that is the one controlling the release of the second bomb, a cam 5|, Figure 4, is adjustably set with respect to the release operating cam 38 a olenite number of degrees peripherally behind the cam 38. This cam 6I is positioned to engage a pair of electric circuit contacts 62 mounted upon the base i3 in alignment with the cam-rod 3l so that after the second or last bomb is released the cam 6l closes the circuit through cable t3 to a solenoid 613, Figure 3, which is energized from generator 6. The location of cam 6I on the timing disk relative to releasing cam 38 will be determined by the distance it is desired the vessel shall travel after releasing the last bomb. Solenoid S4 is mechanically connected to trigger I2 and when energized pulls the trigger back to its initial or starting position, cutting oi the air supply to the propeller turbine and turbogenerator, thereby permitting the carrier to slow down and come to rest, and whereupon the depth control device becomes ineffective and the discharged carrier rises to the surface with the bow end raised owing to the discharge of the load from the forward end. 'Io facilitate the towing of the carrier vessel back to the launching ship or station a ring 65 is provided at the bow for engagement by a boat-hook or towing line. After the carrier vessel is placed aboard the launching ship or station it may be reloaded with bombs and the compressed air tank recharged for further use, and the range setting dials are reset tc zero preparatory to setting them and the timing disks for the next discharge.

What I claim is:

1. In a vessel of the character described, the combination of an overall shell, a bomb chamber therein of smaller cross-sectional area than said shell and having its longitudinal center below the longitudinal center of said shell, an air chamber surrounding approximately the upper half of said bomb chamber, a releasable shell section at the bomb chamber for retaining a bomb therein, a locking device for said releasable section, a mechanism for actuating said locking device to release said shell section, and means for adjusting said mechanism to` release said shell section at a predetermined interval.

2. In a vessel of the character described, the combination of an overall shell, a plurality of bomb chambers separately enclosed within said shell and in axial alignment therein, a releasable shell section at each bomb chamber for retaining a bomb therein, a locking device for each releasable shell section, a mechanism for actuating each locking device to release said shell sections independently of each other, an adjustable actuating means for each of said mechanisms, and

a common drive shaft for said actuating means.

3. In a vessel of the character described, the combination of an overall shell, bulkheads and partitions therein forming separate bomb chambers in axial alignment, said chambersbeing of smaller cross-sectional area than said shell and having their longitudinal centersv below the longitudinal center of said shell, an air chamber surrounding approximately the upper half of each bomb chamber, a releasable shell section at each bomb chamber for retaining a bomb therein, a locking device for each releasable section, a' mechanism for actuating each locking device to release said shell sections independently of each other, an adjustable actuating means for each of said mechanisms, and a common drive shaft for said actuating means.

4. In a vessel as dened in claim 1, a rotary timing disk having a cam for actuating the releasing mechanism, and a setting dial operatively connected with the timing disk for setting same to actuate said mechanism at a predetermined interval.

5. In a vessel as defined in claim 1, a rotary timing disk having a cam for actuating the releasing mechanism, a motor driven shaft and one-way clutch thereon for rotating said disk in one direction, and a setting dial geared to said disk for rotating same in the opposite direction for setting said disk to actuate said mechanism at a predetermined interval.

6. In a vessel as dened in claim 1, a rotary timing disk having a cam for actuating the releasing mechanism, a setting dial operatively connected with the timing disk for setting same to actuate said mechanism at a predetermined interval, and a means actuated through the timing disk for discontinuing rotation of the disk after release of a bomb from the bomb chamber.

7. In a vessel as defined in claim 1, a rotary motor driven timing disk having a cam for actuating the releasing mechanism, a setting dial operatively connected with the timing disk for setting same to actuate said mechanism'at a predetermined interval, and a means actuated through the timing disk for shutting o the power to the motor after release of a bomb from the bomb chamber.

8. In a Vessel as dened in claim 2, ay plurality of rotary timing disks each having a cam for actuating a releasing mechanism and driven by a common driving shaft, and a setting dial for each timing disk for setting same to actuate said mechanisms to release the shell sections simultaneously or independently of each other at predetermined intervals.

SYDNEY B. IEONARDI. Jn. 

